Once again, Andrews University has been named one of the “Best National Universities” for 2011, as reported in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2011” issue. Andrews was also recently ranked on Forbes.com’s 2010’s “America’s Best Colleges.”

Of the more than 1,400 institutions of higher education in the United States, only 262 are recognized as national universities. These are schools that provide master’s and doctoral programs in addition to an array of undergraduate degrees. Only 98 private institutions are classified as national universities and Andrews is the only Seventh-day Adventist institution included in this classification.

Andrews University is in the first tier of rankings and tied with five other schools for rank 191 out of 262 for Best National Universities. U.S. News & World Report ranks Andrews University as tied for being the fifth most racially diverse National University. The closer a school’s number is to 1.0, the more diverse the student population. Andrews overall score in this category is .68 with the highest score being .74. Andrews is tied for sixth among national universities in its percentage of international students, with 12 percent. The highest score was 23 percent.

“We’ve been honored to be included again in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual update on “America’s Best Colleges” and to be included among the 250 or so top national universities. Also, under the new system of two tiers for that category of national university, we’re also proud to be included in the first tier, tied with schools like the University of Colorado-Denver,” says Stephen Payne, vice-president of Enrollment Management and Integrated Marketing & Communication at Andrews University. “However, we’re also just as pleased to be included on some of the lists included elsewhere in the report, especially those that indicate a campus that ranks at the top nationally when it comes to diversity–racial, international and economic. At Andrews we’ve always been committed to responding to, and serving, the entire world, and this national recognition of our diverse campus, including when it comes to economic backgrounds–which is often be a stumbling block for many who desire a college education–is something we’re deeply proud of.”

U.S. News & World Report has changed the published rankings and number of tiers for their 2011 report. Previously, they published the rankings for the first 75 percent of National Universities instead of only 50 percent. As a result, they have collapsed the rankings to encompass two tiers instead of four.